The 11 member Virginia Beach City Council held an emergency meeting last night to address a warning issued by Police Commission James Cerveza. According to eyewitness reports, the Commissioner was concerned about excessive April Fool’s jokes and pranks planned for the coastal community.

“It has come to our attention that multiple pranks are being planned at the oceanfront for Friday, April 1st. We take the public’s safety very seriously. Some of these pranks could be dangerous under the wrong conditions. If we deem there is a credible threat to locals, tourists, and marine life, we must take every precaution necessary.”

This is the first time since Virginia Beach was incorporated back in 1906 that the shoreline has been closed down for a day. “It’s quite an amazing sight.”, said local resident Amber Leight. “There’s nobody here at the beach. Even the dolphins and crabs are gone. I don’t even see any waves right now. It’s like being in one of those old black and white episodes of the Twilight Zone.”

When asked who the perpetrators may be, no further information was provided to the media. “We have decided to keep that information confidential at this time until further information can be collected.”

The owner of VirginiaBeach.com, Steve Jones, shared an interesting theory with us. “I think it was Myrtle Beach. They have been very jealous of the prestigious awards VA Beach has won in 2016 and this might be their way of expressing their angst.”

No matter the culprit(s), we’d like to say, “April Fools!”